JERSEY CITY – At least four people have been dismissed from their positions at the Hudson County jail in the wake of five inmates dying while in custody over the past eight months.

In addition to the people who have been "discharged," two nurses were disciplined and four staff members are on administrative leave pending a full investigation of the jail deaths, officials said.

Jail Director Ronald Edwards announced the staff changes during a special Freeholders meeting Wednesday afternoon. Edwards, who was appointed to his position in August, also laid out a number of changes that have been made at the jail since this summer. The jail has faced heightened scrutiny after the death of an immigrant detainee in June, three suicides between July and January, and a fifth inmate who collapsed and died in a recreation area at the facility.

Many of the changes center on medical care provided at the jail – including a complete audit of medical records of every inmate and immigrant detainee. The county also plans to revamp its chronic care services for immigrant detainees, Edwards said.

The Freeholders asked Edwards to provide an update on the positive changes that are being made at the jail as the county prepares to release the finding of an outside agency's review of the June death of Rolando Meza Espinoza, an immigrant detainee. Officials say the report reveals "serious issues" at the jail.

"A lot has been done," Freeholder Bill O'Dea said. "There are some serious, serious problems. There are serious things we are looking at. The report reveals some very serious issues, but the fact we collectively, the executive and legislative branch have taken some very concrete steps to address."

Other key changes, Edwards said, include new security measures for inmates with mental health issues. Two inmates – Jennifer Towle, 48, and Cynthia Acosta, 34 – committed suicide in the same cell in less than six months. Both were on suicide watch.

The jail has since installed cameras in cells for inmates on suicide watch. Doors will remain open to those cells until clear, glass doors are installed on all infirmary cells. The jail's "suicide policy" has been updated to include keeping track of food and utensils brought into an observation room and only heavy duty sheets will be allowed in the infirmary. Towle died after consuming "foreign material" and Acosta died two days after hanging herself with a bed sheet.